Aug 29 2008
Friday, Aug. 29
Phew. Looks like the premiere of "Australia" is moving two weeks away from the James Bond flick "Quantum of Solace." It'll open Nov. 26, reports Variety.
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David Duchovny seems like a fun-loving, good-natured guy when he's a talk-show guest. But I can't imagine how the "X-Files" star is going to cope with questions about this:
David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed character on Showtime's "Californication," has entered a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction.
The 48-year-old actor said he did so voluntarily, in a statement released Thursday by his lawyer, Stanton Stein. He added: "I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family.
Duchovny's publicist, Flo Grace, confirmed the report, which first appeared on the Web site People.com. She and Stein both declined further comment.
"All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time," the network said in a statement.
The second season of "Californication" begins Sept. 28.
Duchovny starred as the conspiracy-minded Fox Mulder on "The X-Files" TV series and in two films. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" opened in theaters earlier this summer.
He and his wife, actress Tea Leoni, have two children. The couple married in 1997. (Associated Press)
Aug 22 2008
Friday, August 22
First "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" pulled out of the fall film schedule and ran to an opening during the summer 2008 blockbuster season. That created an opening on Nov. 21 that was grabbed by "Twilight," which moved up three weeks. Now James Bond wants to get into the act.
Sony has moved its next 007 film, "Quantum of Solace," back one week to Nov. 14. That puts "Quantum" head-to-head against another film I'm really looking forward to: Baz Luhrmann's "Australia," with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
I'm hoping the release dates settle into a solid schedule before the Post-Gazette's fall movie preview, but I have little hope that will happen. Just want you to know, it's as frustrating for us as it is for you.
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Little by little, Sci Fi Channel and MGM Television Entertainment is letting us know about "Stargate: Universe": An announcement today says production on the first season of the new weekly series will begin in early 2009, "with the show targeted to premiere that summer."
In a joint statement, showrunners Brad Wright and Robert Cooper said: "In ‘Universe,' we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humour, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping off point for telling stories."
Further details of the show from the announcement:
"After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a team of explorers travels to an unmanned starship called the Destiny, launched by The Ancients at the height of their civilization as a grand experiment set in motion, but never completed.
"What starts as a simple reconnaissance turns into a never ending mission, as the Stargate Universe crew discovers the ship is unable to return to Earth, and they must now fend for themselves aboard the Destiny.
"The crew will travel to the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, thus fulfilling the Destiny's original mission. Challenges will arise though as the ship comes into range of Stargates placed centuries ahead of the Destiny and the crew is unable to control the ship's navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them, adding to the drama of encountering new races, enemies and adventures."
There was no word on casting today. The series will debut as a two-hour movie event before settling into an hourly weekly series.
Aug 21 2008
Thursday, Aug. 21
I love press releases that attempt to bury the bad news.
Sci Fi Channel sent out this interestingly worded release today:
"Building upon the successful Stargate franchise, SCI FI Channel today announced it has greenlit a two-hour movie based on the hit science fiction adventure series ‘Stargate: Atlantis.' SCI FI will have the exclusive worldwide television premiere of the yet to be titled ‘Stargate: Atlantis' film, which will then be released on DVD by MGM. The movie will be written by Stargate Atlantis' executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, who also serve as series showrunners. The movie is set to follow the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis, as it draws to its thrilling conclusion in January 2009. ..."
Isn't the news there that the series has been canceled?
Maybe the folks at Sci Fi learned a lesson from the cancellation of "Farscape" after four seasons, with a fifth one already announced. Fan uproar eventually led to a miniseries that capped "Farscape" in 2004, two years after it was cancelled. So this is a way of easing the blow.
Besides, everyone knows that Stargate franchises have a way of re-inventing themselves, as "SG-1" did after 10 years on first Showtime and then as a Friday-night staple on the Sci Fi Channel. When SG-1 ended it's run with the aptly named episode "Unending," along came two straight-to-DVD films, "Ark of Truth" and the recently released "Continuum." The latter finished No. 3 for MGM in DVD sales it's first week, behind the theatrical releases "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" and "21."
"Continuum" was released July 29 and, according to the-numbers.com, it opened with 367,030 and earned $6,353,675. So moving "Atlantis" into the realm of movies seems to irk fans more than TV and studio execs.
"We share in the producers' enthusiasm to move forward in this direction and we look forward to a strong and continued relationship on Stargate Atlantis in this new format," said Sci Fi's Thomas Vitale, senior vice president programming & original movies, in a statement.
"Atlantis" had undergone a "Law & Order"-style revolving door recently, with first Tori Higginson's Dr. Weir making way for "SG-1's" Amanda Tapping. Then Tapping left to get her new Sci Fi series, "Sanctuary" up and running, and Robert Picardo moved to "Atlantis" full-time.
The show, about a team of of military and civilian explorers who travel the distant Pegasus galaxy by means of a "stargate," which creates a wormhole linking worlds, will reach its 100th episode in January 2009.
But wait - there's more Stargate to come. Unlike "Law & Order," which spins off to different branches of the justice system, or "CSI," which heads to different U.S. cities, Stargate is heading into the past with the upcoming spinoff "Stargate: Universe."
In April, details were released explaining that "Universe" would explore how an alien race known as the Ancients arranged Stargates throughout multiple galaxies millions of years ago. Apparently, they sent out two ships: an automated ship to seed Stargates throughout multiple galaxies in our universe and a second ship to follow up and explore, according to gateworld.net.
It also will introduce the Stargate's ninth chevron: A standard, seven-symbol gate address allows for travel within the same galaxy. The eighth chevron allows for travel to a different galaxy. And the ninth chevron will allow a team to reach this second, still unmanned Ancient ship.
All of this happy talk about the expansion of the Stargate universe is probably little solace to "Atlantis" fans. I know how annoyed I was when "Farscape" was unexpectedly cancelled.
But I also know that, as TV editor Rob Owen keeps reminding viewers whose favorite shows are cancelled or whose favorite channels are moved around the dial, it's all a business. If more people watched "Farscape" or "Atlantis" or "SG-1" and they attracted more advertisers, then they'd all probably still be on the air. And in the end, it's not like, say, "Now and Again" or "Sports Night," which never saw the light of day again.
At least the "Stargate" franchises give us movie send-offs.
Aug 20 2008
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Can you hear it? Listen closely ... that battle cry you hear is from fans hotly anticipating the "Watchmen" film who are incensed with Twentieth Century Fox's gambit to squelch Zack Snyder's highly anticipated film.
Some online hotheads are merely wondering what's the deal with Twentieth Century Fox waiting until "Watchmen" is nearly completed and slated for a March 2009 opening to stop release of the Warner Bros. film. Other theories have Fox trying to kill the much buzzed-about "Watchmen" because it is competition for its biggest upcoming releases, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
Jeff Jensen of EW.com says a source tells all of us not to worry: "Despite the legal mess over rights, Fox isn't actually interested in suppressing Snyder's film - they just want affirmation of ownership and/or restitution, and there are many scenarios by which Fox could get paid, including a cash settlement or distribution rights to the film. Either way, look for 'Watchmen' to be released, as scheduled, on March 6, 2009."
Fox filed a copy infringement and breach of contract lawsuit against Warner Bros. earlier this year, alleging that it had the "exclusive copyright and contract rights" to "produce and develop the picture and to distribute the work throughout the world." A California judge recently denied a motion by Warner Bros. to dismiss the suit, thought the studio insists that they have the sole rights to the project.
A movie adaptation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons complex graphic novel has been floating around Hollywood for years, with many directors and writers attached at various times. Let's hope that the two studios can settle their squabbling amicably (or at least, with enough money changing hands to soothe both sides) and the film made by Snyder -- the guy who finally got it done, and with Gibbons enthusiastically on board -- can be seen on time.
The exclusive clips of the film shown at Comic-Con in July and the sincere pitch by the director and stars of the film left fans thirsting to see it.
At some point, moviegoers will decide if Fox was right to try to get in on the action.
Aug 18 2008
Monday, Aug. 18
Word came this week about "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" moving from the fall to July 2009 -- to the same week, movie editor Barbara Vancheri pointed out to me today, that saw the release of "The Dark Knight," thus ruining my argument that July is the wrong time to release a movie with dark subjects. Now Summit Entertainment gleefully announces that "Twilight" will move up its release by three weeks to Nov. 21, taking advantage of Warner Bros.' decision to wait out 2008.
"Twilight" was a featured panel at Comic-Con, with author Stephenie Meyer on hand to join director Catherine Hardwicke and the young cast. The two stars of the vampire-human romance fantasy, 22-year-old Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") and Kristen Stewart, 18, seemed overwhelmed by the screaming fans in San Diego and Pattinson, in particular, could barely get a word out without deferring to a co-star. Stewart was more articulate but equally nervous -- Pattinson pulled and tugged at his thick hair throughout the ordeal and Stewart almost matched him for hair-pulling and jitters. Now they have a shorter time now to prepare for the media onslaught; I hope that Comic-Con gave them each a hint of what's to come and they've figured out a way to relax and enjoy the adoration.
Back to Harry Potter for a moment. The buzz in the media yesterday wasn't so much about Entertainment Weekly (along with the UK's Empire magazine) featuring "The Half-Blood Prince" as cover stories for their fall movie previews. Even weekly magazines have to go to press well in advance of publication and can get left in the lurch by breaking news. What surprised (and amused?) most insiders was that the studio's parent company and EW's are one in the same: Time Warner Inc.
The studio had been considering the date change for three or four weeks, "but it really didn't kind of get on the front burner until sometime within the last seven days," Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. head of distribution, said Sunday, The Associated Press reports. Entertainment Weekly's "deadline must have been earlier than the decision, than when we started to get serious about making the decision."
Saturday, Aug. 10
I attended the preview of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," and walking through the AMC Loews at the Waterfront was like being back in San Diego's Exhibit Hall -- except the Stormtroopers in Pittsburgh had more authentic-looking costumes. Stormtrooper TK-1085 of 501st Legion, Garrison Carida ("First to Advance, Last to Retreat"), also known as Tom Kness of Kittanning, was one of the costumed invitees lending a live-action air to the animated feature. There was another Stormtrooper, Jango Fett, Obi-Wan and Darth Vader ... no George Lucas, but their presence did him proud.